Midnapore, Aug. 17: Haldia is set to get a Rs 100-crore makeover before it wears the mantle of a prime industrial hub.

The Coast Guard, which has taken up the project to upgrade infrastructure, said nearly Rs 40 crore would be spent in the next two years.

At least half-a-dozen helicopters and small aircraft and sophisticated high-speed vessels will be brought to increase surveillance on the Haldia coastline, said G. Singh, the deputy inspector-general of Coast Guard.

“We are aware of the increasing importance of Haldia as an industrial hub. So we need to step up our surveillance along the coast. We expect to spend nearly Rs 40 crore in two years,” he said.

According to Singh, the Coast Guard would also keep a watch on Nandigram, about 5 km from Haldia in East Midnapore, where a mega chemical hub and a ship repairing yard are supposed to come up.

“We will put together a helicopter squadron and are looking for space to house it. We will also set up a helipad and an airstrip for our small aircraft like the Dornier on a five-acre plot in Haldia town,” an official said.

A hovercraft port will be constructed in addition to the jetty that stands at the confluence of the Hooghly and the Haldi. The jetty will be upgraded, expanded and converted into a concrete port.

“We did not have a permanent helipad at our headquarters in Haldia. When a reconnaissance from air was needed, our aircraft had to take off from Calcutta to carry out the survey,” an official said.